Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, left, makes a point to team captain John Terry. Photograph: Carl de Souza/AFP/Getty Images

Breaking news: Didier Drogba is the new Chelsea captain. Not officially, you understand, because John Terry has managed to hang on to one of his armbands, but midway through the second half of this demolition of West Ham the team's top scorer and chief thespian ordered Terry to reorganise his defence and England's fallen leader obliged.

Drogba was all over West Ham in a 4-1 win and is Chelsea's best hope of removing the smirk from José Mourinho's chops when Internazionale trot out at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday sporting their 2-1 first-leg lead. Most of us had not realised the Big D exerted so much tactical influence in Carlo Ancelotti's team until he raised two fingers to Terry from the halfway line to denote Branislav Ivanovic's shirt number.

Ivanovic had been racing forward from the right-back berth like a dog in the park who had been locked up way too long. After jabbing up two digits, Drogba then wagged his index finger at Terry, who straightaway passed the order down the line to "Bran" to keep tight to the rest of the back four. Ivanovic stopped marauding and Florent Malouda, who dazzled on Chelsea's left-flank, and Drogba, with his second goal of the match, finished West Ham off.

Fabio Capello is known to have said that Terry remains the notional England captain on the pitch but had to be stripped of the armband out of an old Italian sense of rectitude. So England's followers can expect to see him imposing his authority almost as much as he did before Rio Ferdinand was promoted to the role. But it was revealing to see him power share with Drogba in the arena where he is meant to be the domineering cockney lord.

Part of Drogba's genius has been to shape events around his own theatrical personality. When a manager is fired from the ejector seat people always wonder whether Drogba was a catalyst in the victim's journey toward the heavens. He is the turbulent soul of a sometimes mechanical side. Whatever the political reality of his standing in Roman Abramovich's affections his influence in games is boundless. When Drogba is inspired, so are Chelsea. His emotional state is a barometer for the ambitions of this team.

A 55th-minute headed goal after Terry had impersonated Frank Lampard by surging into the penalty box and a simple finish from a spill by Robert Green, the West Ham goalkeeper, took Drogba's haul to 21 Premier League goals for the season and 27 in all competitions. These Rooney-esque stats outshine those of Nicolas Anelka, whose last goal was against Burnley nine matches ago and who is becalmed on 12. The Drogba-Anelka numbers game looked like being a tight contest until Anelka was left behind by Drogba's barn-burning brilliance.

Mourinho's relationship with him was complex. The returning hero exhausted his repertoire of psychological tricks to exploit his senior striker's vast potential. Sometimes he would venerate, other times he would vilify, in front of the other players. And there were times when Mourinho would claim to feel betrayed by some flirtation Drogba was having with an Italian club. Most assumed player would follow coach to Milan but it never happened. Their duel, on Tuesday, will be high-class ego theatre.

Chelsea impress less than they excite. Against West Ham, though, Malouda filed possibly his most impressive performance in a Chelsea shirt. On this evidence, the Republic of Ireland may yet see Thierry Henry karmically punished for the play-off double handball by Malouda taking his place on the left of the France attack, but no doubt Henry's fame will prevail. If Malouda plays like this for the rest of Chelsea's season, though, a dozen or so right-backs are going to end up with migraines.

A quiet soul, Malouda excelled without using officialdom and injustice as a monolith to fight against, as Drogba did during an amusing spasm on the edge of the West Ham penalty box. Incensed by a decision by Mark Clattenburg, the referee, Drogba appeared to have been given a sizeable electric shock as he writhed and kicked his way back to the vertical.

How much duller would Stamford Bridge be without his histrionics? It was worth the ticket price just to see him shake his finger at Clattenburg. If Rada employ specialist coaches, they should hire Drogba to teach indignation. Any actor playing a lone hero taking on Washington or a corrupt corporation would gain from studying Drogba's blazing eyes and his wronged demeanour.

Like Rooney at Manchester United, he is the human line between victory and defeat. There was a deepening sense here that Chelsea's season will be settled by Drogba's contribution against Mourinho's Inter on Tuesday and in the Premier League super-clash against United at Old Trafford on Easter weekend. He is some item, some entertainer.

THE FANS' PLAYER RATINGS AND VERDICT

TRIZIA FIORELLINO, Chelsea Supporters Group It was a good result, but a poor performance – it was just as well West Ham were so bad because we were not on top of our game. There were a few good individual performances: Malouda was excellent, Alex played really well and Turnbull put in a competent display. But Drogba didn't do much and got two goals – that tells the story. It's difficult to be too happy because I get the impression they don't want the league enough – they're so set on the Champions League they don't put enough in to league games. You can get way with that with West Ham, but we must get our heads right before we go to Manchester United.

TIM CONLAN, Observer reader It was quite a good game, but we set out our stall by playing practically a reserve team. Sticking Mido and Ilan up front was a fairly negative tactic, but, ironically, we did compete very well and Ilan should have scored before they did. But Malouda ran Spector ragged – he gives opponents too much room. I think 4-1 slightly flattered them, but their goalkeeper didn't really have a shot to save. Parker's goal was worth the admission money on its own. We all shouted: "Don't shoot!" because he normally hits the floodlights from that distance. Dyer had a start today and played 60 minutes, and he looked quite fresh.